MANCHESTER, England :Manchester City squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday after another calamitous performance from Pep Guardiola’s stuttering side who have suffered an alarming slump in form.
Erling Haaland scored either side of an Ilkay Gundogan strike for the hosts, who looked poised for victory after a five-game losing streak in all competitions.
But defensive blunders in the dying minutes allowed Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko to score as City dropped to 15th in the Champions League table on eight points.
“We lost a lot of games lately, we’re fragile and of course we needed a victory,” Guardiola said as his side threw away the lead, with the English champions having been trounced 4-0 at home by Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday.
“I don’t know if it’s mental. The first goal cannot happen and the second as well. After that we forget what happened, we were desperate to win and do well, we do well but don’t win games.”
City have conceded two or more goals in six successive matches in all competitions for the first time since 1963 – a season that saw them relegated from the English top flight.
They are also the first team in Champions League history to lead by three goals as late as the 75th minute but fail to win.
“Difficult,” said City defender Nathan Ake. “We played quite well, all under control, then things changed. We have to stay strong mentally, believe in ourselves, and stay together … and make sure we get out of it.
“The only thing we can do is fight back and stay strong … When you’re three-nil up, it feels like a defeat when you give up three goals at home.”
City parked in the visitors’ end for much of the night and following several near misses in the first half, Haaland got the hosts on the scoresheet in the 45th by striking a blistering penalty kick past Timon Wellenreuther after he was fouled.
TURNAROUND
Gundogan doubled the lead in the 50th minute with a deflected low long-range shot before Haaland scored again three minutes later when he slid in to stab home a Matheus Nunes cross for his 46th goal in Europe’s elite club competition.
At that stage, it was all smiles among the Etihad crowd.
Yet astonishingly, Feyenoord replied with three goals inside 15 minutes, first from Hadj Moussa, who pounced on a careless ball back from Josko Gvardiol in the 75th minute.
Then Gimenez struck seven minutes later when he chested in Jordan Lotomba’s cross, created from another wayward Gvardiol pass that had a furious Guardiola with his head in his hands for several minutes and Gvardiol tugging his shirt over his face.
Hancko equalised in the 89th when keeper Ederson was beaten by Igor Paixao who sent over a cross for Hancko to head in.
“It was an unbelievable evening,” said Feyenoord boss Brian Priske. “To be 3-0 down around 75 minutes away from home and against the best team in the world and then to be able to pick up a really important point for us – an unbelievable result.”
City’s Jack Grealish narrowly missed scoring a late winner but his deflected strike grazed the crossbar.
The home fans booed their side after the final whistle.
What could have been a massive confidence boost for Guardiola’s struggling team now raises more questions ahead of their toughest test of the season yet, a clash with Premier League-leading Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Defeat would leave City 11 points adrift of the Reds.
Feyenoord, who are fourth in the Eredivisie, are 20th in the Champions League standings with seven points and among the playoff places with three games remaining in the first phase.
